Cruise Holidays Agents Give Disney Dream a Boost

Disney has captured the imagination of some of Cruise Holidays' agents even before its newest ship, Disney Dream, completed its inaugural voyage, according to Cruise Holidays. The company's agents voted the Disney Dream as the most anticipated new ship of 2011.

The Dream was voted number one out of a list of nine other major new cruise ships that will sail in 2011. Thirty-three percent (33%) of all respondents chose the Dream in a “Cruise Trends” survey conducted January 3 to January 13, 2011. There were 125 respondents.

“Disney has not introduced a brand new ship in more than a decade,” said Mark Schiffner, vice president of Cruise Holidays. “However, it also goes far beyond the novelty of just being new, because Disney is a proven, family-friendly brand. The features and amenities on this ship will most likely make anyone feel like one of Disney’s own royal family."

Highlights of the ship include:

• Virtual portholes for inside cabins, displaying real-time LED projections fed by cameras from outside the ship. Disney characters will also be periodically super-imposed over the projections.

• Enchanted Garden restaurant, where the setting gradually transforms from day to night.

• “It’s a Small World” nursery for children as young as three months old.

• The Oceaneers Club for children ages three to ten, where among other things, kids can have real-time interaction with an animated version of “Crush,” the sea turtle from Finding Nemo.

• The Skyline Bar, which features a hi-def projection of a different international cityscape each night (like Tokyo and Paris) with matching food, drinks and music.

• “Enchanted Art” pieces that spring to life from still images when they sense motion.

• AquaDuck, the first watercoaster at sea, where at one point guests will actually blast through a clear tube 150 feet above the ocean’s surface.

“We will have representatives from Cruise Holidays attending the ship’s christening and inaugural sailing so that we can be as informed as possible on whether this is the right ship for inquiring customers. Likewise, if there is another ship that our experts may feel is a better match for a particular client they will be able to share their honest opinions with them,” said Schiffner.

On Cruise Holidays’ list of most anticipated ships, Celebrity Cruises’ Silhouette placed second with 28 percent of votes. Oceania Cruises’ Marina placed third with 18 percent of the votes.